Locomotive-boiler furnace.



C. B. MO0RE.` Locomonvs Boum funn/ugs. APPLICATION FILED DELH. |9l.1,138,035. Patented May 4, 1915.

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MOTIVI-Bom MAUR 1,138,035. Mum-emmen Patented May 4, 1915.

` Appununmeane-bens, 1911. sei-1.11am. Toallwltomitmay concern.- whichform a part of lthis specification, I Be it known that I, CHARLES B.Moon, a have Illustrated a preferred form of my incitizen of the UnitedStates, and a l'ident venon together with a modified form of the city ofEvanston, county of Cook, thereof.

and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Locomotive-Boiler Furnaces, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in locomotive boiler furnaces andhas particular reference to improvements in refractory baille ordeiecting walls, sometimes called arches, for ireboxes of locomotiveboilers.Y

The general objects of my invention are to provide an improvedrefractory arch which may be easily and quickly installed in locomotivefireboxes, which are provided with circulating tubes; to provide an archwhich shall be of comparatively light weight and low cost; to provide anarch which shall be adapted for easy repair and parts of which may beremoved to afford easy access to the firebox side sheets; and to providean arch of a form that will materially assist in admixing, comminglingand igniting the irebox gases and combustibles.

A- special object of my invention is to provide a system of archconstruction whereby arches, having the characteristics here outlined,can be readily, easily and cheaply installed in locomotive boilerfireboxes provided with circulating tubes and in which the spacing ofthe tubes is not exactly equal, or the same throughout the extent of thearch.

A further feature of my improvement consists in the convenience withwhich arches having the above characteristics can be constructed inireboxes of various widths and having different spacings of tubes withthe use of substantially identical bricks. In other words, my inventioncontemplates the building of arches in various boilers by the use ofbricks or slabs, all of which have substantially the same form anddimensions.

y invention consists in the several improvements and variousconstructions and combinations of parts whereby the aboveobjects andfeatures are obtained and preserved together with others hereinafterappearing, and all as hereinafter fully described in reference to theaccompanying drawings and as particldarly pointed out in the appendedclaims. In sald drawmgs In said draw' Figure 1l is a vertical centrallongitudlilil section of a locomotive box equipped with an archembodying my invention, in a preferred form or structure the sectionbeing on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal horizontalsection of the firebox on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and showing a top planview of the arch; Fig. 3 is a partial vertical tansverse section of thefirebox on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail transverse sectionof the arch on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of asingle brick.

My invention may be embodied in arches of varying construction andlocated in different positions in the lirebox. I have limited theillustration of my invention to socalled front arches. It should beunderhowever, that my invention is not limited to this specific form andlocation of arch.

A locomotive boiler irebox as shown in the drawings consists of a liucsheet 2, side sheets 3 3, a crown sheet 4 and a rear sheet 5. Thefirebox is provided at its lower end 6. F lues 7 lead forward from andthe rear sheet is provided with a fuel door or opening 8. The irebox asillustrated is provided with four inclined circulating arch tubes 9, thesame being arranged substantially parallel with the side sheets of thefirebox and inclined forwardly and downwardly from the upper portion ofthe rear sheet to the lower portion of the flue sheet and serve toincrease the circulation or iiow of water between the front and rearwater legs of the boiler. It is usually intended that the spacing of thetubes in the firebox be substantially equal, at least to the extent thatthey serve as supports for the arch. However, on account of the spacingof the `stay bolts or for other reasons it ently occurs that these tuare not spaced equally both in relation to themselves and to the sidesheets of the firebox and a particular feature of my invention residesin an arch brick so formed that it may position by serve equally well inpositions in which the tubes vary considerably y tions.

in their spacings, ns welles where thaspae ing of the tubes is equalthroughout the extent of the arch. o

A so-called front arch usually occupies an inclined position in theforward end of the irebox extending substantially from side to sidethereof and having its forward end in abutment with or arranged in closeproximity to the flue sheet. The function of such arches is to obstructthe flow of the firebox gases in their passa e from the grate t0 theiues and to deiect t causing them not only to flow backward and forwardthrough the iirebox but also to be retained in the iirebox a sufficienttime for com lete combustion to take place. The deflection of thesegases and their consequent retention in the rebox results in an evendistribution of the heat of combustion throughout the interior surfaceof the firebox and particularly throughout the length of the crownsheet. The deflection of the gases further results in the breaking upand admixing the streams of gases and I add to this effect by providingthe arch with a plurality of subsidiary gas deflecting surfaces arrangedin various planes, whereby the body of fiowing gas is not only deflectedgenerally, but the various portions thereof are caused to intermix andcommingle whereby substantially perfect combustion is attained in thefirebox. Refractory arches which are light in construction and arrangedas described, soon attain incandescence and thereby assist in theignition of the gases and the other combustibles and I greatly enhancethis effect'of the arch by roviding the under surface of the arch withmany comparatively thin ribs or depending por- The arch, as illustrated,consists of a lurality of transverse rows of bricks, eac row comprisinga number of bricks c which are arranged to be supported upon adjacenttubes or upon a tube and the adjacent side sheet. These bricks arelimited in size by the fact that they should not be too heavy to beeasily handled and placed in position and should be small enough to bereadily passed through the fuel door into the firebox. The bricks c aresubstantially rectangular in shape and their length in a general senseis determined by the spacing of the tubes, but they are so formed thatthey may be used in connection with tubes, the spacings of which vary toa considerable extent. The ends c* of the bricks c which rest upon thetubes are cut away or angled, the length of the lower face of each brickbeing considerably shorter than the length of the back or upper face ofthe brick. The transverse section of these bricks is consequently wedgeshaped and the bricks having considerable thickness they are adapted tofit between tubes whose, spacings vary from a fixed standard. The bricksin any special em out of their course,

struct an arch installation arev ly jacent tubes until t e thereon. Thelower aces provided withgas mixing lowered between adfind a restingplace of the bricks are pocketsor cavi- "ties, and as clearlylillustrated nFigs. 1

and 4, the incloslng walls or surfaces of these pockets or cavities areinclined relatively to the upper and lower faces of the brick, and thearch is thereby provided with many gas defiecting surfaces arranged indifferent angularly disposed planes. These pockets or cavities and theinclined ends of the bricks assist in the main action of the arch incommingling and admixing the firebox gases. When installing an arch inaccordance with my invention, I first arrange a\ transverse row of thearch bricks c resting them upon the tubes and spacing them from the fluesheet by means of spacing blocks or bricks b on the lower ends of saidtubes. I then lace a second transverse row of the arch ricks higher upin the rebox resting upon the arch tubes and a ainst the first row. Thearch is completed y placing further transverse rows in position abovethose already placed, sufficient in number to conof the desired heightor length. This height or length is determined by the shape of theIirebox and the action of the draft therein, usually extending to aboutthe longitudinal center of the firebox.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 I have illustrated the bricks, c, in detail. Thegeneral form and purpose of the brick is described above. The undersurface, of the brick, c, is provided with the gas mixing pockets orrecesses c in the form of two open ended ockets or cavities divided orseparated by a thick central plortion or transverse rib c2. The tops csof t ese pockets are curved upwardly and outwardly from the lower faceof the rib c2, to the opposite ends of the brick. This constructionprovides the brick c with side fianges c* at each end, and consequentlythe tubes upon which these bricks rest are exposed to the action of thefirebox gases. The inclined ends of the bricks c and the upwardly andoutwardly curved tops c3 of the open ended pockets c tend to direct theflow of the firebox gases directly against the sides of the circulatingtubes 9 and this 'action besides aiding in the commingling of the gasesadds very much to the rapidity of the transmission of heat through thewalls of the tubes to the contained water.

The arch being built up of a plurality of individual bricks each one ofwhich is supported independent of the others, provides a structure fromwhich any one or number of bricks may be removed easily withoutdisturbing the rest of the arch when it is necessary to replace brokenbricks or repair the arch. Further the end bricks of the rows can beremoved without disturbing any other part of the arch when it is desiredto repair the side sheets or the stay bolts.

advantage peculiar to this improved construction of arch is that the endbricks of the transverse rows serve to steady the arch or lock itagainstlateral movement 1n the irebox and yet on account of the arch.

being built up of a plurality of comparatively small members it is as awhole more or less iiexible and can accommodate or adjust itself to anyslight differences of dimensions of the firebox due to contraction orexpansion of the irebox sheets on account of varying temperatures andpressures. When the rebox expands the separate bricks of the arch settlebetween thc tubes and when it contracts these bricks are, in a sense,automatically raised on the tubes on account of their inclined ends.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. A locomotive boiler firebox containing a plurality of arch supportingtubes, in combination with a plurality of transverse rows of arch brickssupported by said tubes, said rows extending from side to side in thefirebox and arranged side by side upon the tubes, each said brick havingoppositely inclined flat ends, the upper face of each brick being longerthan the space between the supports upon which it rests whereby thebrick depends between its supports and is thereby held against lateralmovement in the irebox, and each said brick havin oppositely disposedopen ended recesses 1n its underside2 adapted to deflect the fireboxgases against the supports upon which the brick rests, substantially asdescribed.

2. A locomotive boiler firebox containing a plurality of arch tubes, incombination with a front arch extending from side sheet to side sheet,and composed of a plurality of substantial identical bricks, each saidbrick being flat and oppositely beveled at its ends where it rests uponits supports and whereby it is held against lateral movement in thefirebox, and each said brick being provided on its underside withoppositely disposed. curved bottomed open ended recesses adapted todeflect the lirebox gases laterally against the supports upon which thebrick rests.

3. A locomotive boiler iireoox containing inclined arch tubes, incombination with a longitudinal row of substantially identical bricksresting upon a tube and wedgingly engaging the adjacent side sheet othefirebox, each said brick having its ends oppositely beveled, and beingprovided on its under surface with a gas-mixing pocket or cavity havinga curved bottom and an open end adapted to deflect the ilirebox gasesagainst the side sheet of the firebox, substantially as described.

4. An arch brick for use in a locomotive boiler furnace provided witharch tubes spaced apart, the brick being adapted to rest upon the tubesand having its, transverse ends which contact with the tubes flat andoppositely beveled, two oppositely extending recesses in the bottom ofthe brick having upwardly and outwardly curved bottoms and open endswhereby they are adapted to deflect the firebox gases laterally againstthe sides of the tubes upon 'which the bricks rest.

5. A locomotive lirebox arch-brick, composed of refractory material,having ends formed for engagement with arch tubes and in its bottomprovided with oppositely extending cavities or recesses which openthrough respective ends of the brick, for the purposes described.

6. A locomotive rebox arch-brick, composed of refractory material,having ends formed for engagement with arch tubes and in its bottomprovided with grooves which open through respective ends of the brick,there being a thick portion which separates said grooves, for thepurposes described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 5th day ofDecember, 1911, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES B. MOORE.

Witnesses:

EDWARD F. WILSON, CHARLES GILBERT Hasta?

